The American Gaming Association reported a record $53 billion in revenue in 2021, up 21% from the previous revenue record of $43.65 billion set in 2019.
Bill Miller, president and CEO of the AGA, spoke at a press conference on Tuesday to discuss the "remarkable" year of gambling in the United States.
"Our incredible rate of recovery sets us apart from others in the hospitality sector and the broader economy," Miller said. "I'm really optimistic about where we're headed. That optimism is rooted in our industry’s extraordinary recovery, topping $50 billion for the first time ever."
Despite the massive rise of mobile sports gambling in 2021, in-person gambling at casinos remained the dominant factor in the record revenue numbers. 85%, or $46.52 billion, of the total gambling revenue was attributed to slot, table and physical sportsbooks.
Fan-favorite slot machine games saw a rise in revenue at casinos last year, going up 10% compared to 2019. However, table game revenue only increased by 1.1% over the same time period.
The fourth-quarter gaming revenue for 2021 grew by 30% to $14.31 billion compared to the same period as 2019. It also beat the previous quarterly record of $13.93 billion set in quarter three of 2021.
It should come as no surprise that Las Vegas is still at the top of American gambling, bringing in more than $7 billion in gross gaming revenue in 2021. Atlantic City had the second most revenue last year with $2.6 billion, while the Chicagoland area was third with $2 billion in revenue.
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Sports gambling brought in a record $4.29 billion in revenue in 2021, thanks to a record $57.22 billion wagered by Americans. The amount gambled was up 165% compared to 2020.
New Jersey was the top sports gambling market for the second year in a row, bringing in $815 million in sports betting revenue in 2021. While Illinois, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Michigan rounded out the top five in sports betting revenue.
iGaming, which includes mobile card, slot and table games, across six states, not including Nevada online poker, was up 139% from 2020 and generated a record $3.71 billion in revenue. New Jersey was ranked No. 1 in iGaming revenue, with Pennsylvania and Michigan behind them, as they all had more than $1 billion in revenue. Connecticut and Michigan both launched iGaming in 2021.
2022 looks to continue the trend of record revenue numbers, as Louisiana and New York have already launched mobile sports betting. The AGA said that Nebraska and Ohio plan to launch this year, and Maryland could follow soon after.
"Look at New York or Louisiana—does anybody reasonably think that millions of people just decided to try out sports betting for the first time last month? Of course not," Miller said. "Americans have been betting on sports as long as they've been sports to bet on, they just haven't had the legal opportunity to do it before. Raising awareness and attracting players to legal sportsbook is how we protect consumers, generate needed tax revenue and stamp out the illegal market."
Seven states -- California, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Oklahoma -- are discussing sports betting for 2022. Four states, including Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri and New York, are considering iGaming.
Additionally, brick-and-mortar casinos will open for the first time in Virginia this year, and new racetrack/casinos are set to open in Nebraska.
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